1953 Stanford Indians football team

1953 Stanford Indians football
Conference	Pacific Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 17
AP	No. 19
Record	6–3–1 (5–1–1 PCC)
Head coach	Chuck Taylor (3rd season)
Home stadium	Stanford Stadium
Seasons ←  1952 1954  →

1953 Pacific Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 UCLA $	6	–	1	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
No. 19 Stanford	5	–	1	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
USC	4	–	2	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
California	2	–	2	–	2			4	–	4	–	2
Washington State	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Oregon State	3	–	5	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Washington	2	–	4	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
Oregon	2	–	5	–	1			4	–	5	–	1
Idaho	0	–	3	–	0			1	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1953 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University in the 1953 college football season. The team was led by Chuck Taylor in his third year, and by quarterback Bobby Garrett, who would win the season's W. J. Voit Memorial Trophy as most outstanding player on the Pacific Coast, and was selected by the Cleveland Browns as the first pick of the NFL draft at the end of the season.

The team played their home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 19	Pacific (CA) *		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 20–25	10,500
September 26	Oregon		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	W 7–0	17,000
October 3	Illinois *		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	L 21–33	32,737
October 10	at Oregon State		Multnomah Stadium Portland, OR	W 21–0	8,005
October 17	No. 4 UCLA		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	W 21–20	45,000
October 24	at Washington	No. 20	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	W 13–7	39,000–41,234
October 31	Washington State	No. 17	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	W 48–19	18,500
November 7	at No. 17 USC	No. 11	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)	L 20–23	79,015
November 14	San Jose State *	No. 16	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)	W 54–0	12,000
November 21	California	No. 16	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (Big Game)	T 21–21	91,500
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[2]

Game summaries

California

1 2 3 4 Total Bears 0 7 7 7 21 Indians 0 7 14 0 21 Date: November 21 Location: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California Game attendance: 92,500

Scoring summary 2 STAN Sam Morley 5 yard-pass from Bobby Garrett (Garrett kick) STAN 7–0 2 CAL Don Whyte 8-yard run (Paul Larson kick) Tied 7–7 3 STAN Barry Smith recovered fumble in end zone (Garrett kick) STAN 14–7 3 STAN Garrett 54-yard interception return (Garrett kick) STAN 21–7 3 CAL Larson 19-yard run (Larson kick) STAN 21–14 4 CAL Al Talley 3-yard run (Larson kick) Tied 21–21

With a win in the Big Game, Stanford would earn a berth in the 1954 Rose Bowl. California had not lost a Big Game since 1946, and this game was no exception: California intercepted quarterback Garrett five times and scored twice late to force a 21–21 tie. The tie, coupled with UCLA's victory over rival USC, denied the Indians a second Rose Bowl appearance in three years. ^{[3] [4]}

Players drafted by the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Bobby Garrett	Quarterback	1	1	Cleveland Browns
John Steinberg	End	10	113	New York Giants
Sam Morley	End	20	236	Washington Redskins
Marv Tennefoss	End	24	279	Green Bay Packers

^[5]

References

1. "Stanford Game-by-Game Results; 1953–1957". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
2. "Schedule/Results (1953 Stanford)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 24, 2025.
3. "Stanford out of bowl with 21 to 21 tie". The Daily Reporter. November 20, 1953. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
4. "Cal holds Stanford to 21–21 deadlock". The Eugene Register-Guard. November 20, 1953. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
5. "1954 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2014.